Remember the Gallup poll in May?
You know, the one that said that for the first time ever more Americans were pro-life than pro-choice?
You must have heard about this one. This story made its way across the MSM
Christian groups and Right wingers pounced on this news, as indicative of a real game-changer in American politics. Or as Newsbusters' Tom Blumer noted:
What a difference a radical, in your face, abortion-promoting president makes.
What a difference
3 months can make, Tom
Blumer continues in
his piece about how the President's position on abortion is so appalling that Americans (10% of them anyway) immediately changed their positions on the issue. And he came to this conclusion based off of
one poll!I believe that the ascendance of Dear Leader Barack Obama has unmasked what being "pro-choice" on abortion is all about. What I believe has really happened is that many of the switchers, with some help from Catholic and other clerics who have finally found their too-long-lost tongues, have learned that being "pro-choice," though a nearly sure bet for avoiding arguments at PC cocktail parties, has real-world consequences that have nothing to do with "choice."...
If the administration and Congress are waiting for public sentiment to return being euphemistically "pro-choice" so they can push FOCA through without fear of electoral consequences, they may have a long wait. I would suggest that it is just as likely that the pro-life margin will increase in the coming years.
The lesson here is that it helps to be a more critical consumer of poll information. If a new poll contradicts the history of poll results on an issue try to figure out why that is. Look at the questions that were asked, the timing of the poll, look at polling trends, who conducted the poll, and most importantly, wait for more polls to come out before making a verdict! Polls that are done well are never technically wrong, but polling data, like the majority consensus in America, can be fickle. It's best to exercise some restraint and humility when dealing with polls.
Here's an example of how to be a critical consumer of poll data, thanks to
fleshandstone.net:
The strategically timed release of a poll showing a sudden 10-point flip in American views on abortion should raise a few eyebrows.
Gallup’s press release claimed, "More Americans “Pro-Life” Than “Pro-Choice” for First Time."
While partisan mainstream editorial writers openly gloated about the “stunning” and “shocking” poll released in May, few traditional media looked critically and honestly at what the poll actually revealed, and reported the findings with the same slant as the news release. Rather than spending a minute exploring why it was stunning or shocking, the media simply reported it as fact.
First off, polls should be suspect. While they may have been reliable in a more innocent age, Gallup, like many other polling companies, is a for-profit corporation. They are commissioned to conduct polls. Unfortunately, polling companies are not required to disclose the name of the commissioning organization, even though it’s the ethically responsible thing to do.
The Gallup poll was released on the day anti-abortion groups planned protests against President Obama's commencement address at Notre Dame and just as there’s a new seat to fill on the U.S. Supreme Court. It certainly smells of partisan efforts to create a buzz and revitalize controversy.
Dear Blogger,
Lefty's is not a spam blog...
idk if anyone else got an email like this.
Hello,
Your blog at: http://leftyslastcry.blogspot.com/ has been identified as a potential spam blog. To correct this, please request a review by filling out the form at http://www.blogger.com/unlock-blog.g?lockedBlogID=500162269956409657
Your blog will be deleted in 20 days if it isn't reviewed, and your readers will see a warning page during this time. After we receive your request, we'll review your blog and unlock it within two business days. Once we have reviewed and determined your blog is not spam, the blog will be unlocked and the message in your Blogger dashboard will no longer be displayed. If this blog doesn't belong to you, you don't have to do anything, and any other blogs you may have won't be affected.
We find spam by using an automated classifier. Automatic spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and occasionally a blog like yours is flagged incorrectly. We sincerely apologize for this error. By using this kind of system, however, we can dedicate more storage, bandwidth, and engineering resources to bloggers like you instead of to spammers. For more information, please see Blogger Help: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42577
Thank you for your understanding and for your help with our spam-fighting efforts.
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I'm sure the whole thing will resolve itself once I let them know we're obviously not a spam blog. Now we're getting our site reviewed so blogger can conclude we're obviously not spam. Hopefully we'll have this cleared up in 20 days when the school year rolls in and we're expecting more traffic.
Idk why we were marked for spam, whether it was because we have a lot of writers, we use a lot of links, or we just show up a lot in search engines. We might have to change something about the blog to stay in compliance. Already I've noticed that there is now a word verification for making posts. The blogger spam page explains what a spam blog is:
What Are Spam Blogs?
As with many powerful tools, blogging services can be both used and abused. The ease of creating and updating webpages with Blogger has made it particularly prone to a form of behavior known as link spamming. Blogs engaged in this behavior are called spam blogs, and can be recognized by their irrelevant, repetitive, or nonsensical text, along with a large number of links, usually all pointing to a single site.
Hey, blogger, I know I ramble a lot in my posts but that was pretty harsh...
Here's tonight's especially awesome "Special Comment" by Keith Olbermann on his show, Countdown.
Did K.O. just call Senator John Thune (R-SD) a dirty whore??? Hells yes he did!
...What was that one statement worth to you in contributions from the Health Sector, Sen. Thune? Five thousand dollars? Ten? We know what you are, Sir, we're arguing about the price.
Don't worry, he doesn't stop there! Keith calls out many of the Republicans blocking much needed health care reform, as well as some of the "Blue Dogs" who have sold their votes to the insurance lobby, leaving their constituents uninsured, under-insured, or otherwise screwed by these soulless-vampires-making-money-off-human-pain.
Here's the full Special Comment for your viewing pleasure.
If you haven't already heard of Fearless Charities, I highly suggest you check out their website here. They are an NGO that is working in dangerous parts of the globe to ensure that humanitarian aid is properly delivered. Our good friend Nathaniel Smith has been keeping us up to date on FC news. Recently, they participated in a conference with the Center for Complex Operations.
Check it out:
Earlier this week our Chief Operating Officer, Nathaniel Smith, and our Head of Research, (the soon-to-be Dr.) Thomas Apker travelled to Washington, D.C. and entered the prestigious halls of the National Defense University to attend a conference hosted by the Center for Complex Operations.
The Center for Complex Operations is a joint Department of Defense, State Department, and US Agency for International Development institution tasked with developing better ways for the US government to engage in complex operations - counter-insurgency, relief work in warzones, post-conflict reconstruction, etc. It is easy to understand why Fearless Charities was so keen to be in the room!
Our representatives took an active part in question and answer periods, making our presence known and punching well above our weight. During the meet-and-greet following the formal conference, informal discussions were held by our personnel with senior members of other NGOs, with State Department employees, think tank members, and academics.
The feedback which Fearless Charities received from these conversations was overwhelmingly positive and supportive. New contacts and opportunities have been discovered and there may be a partnership or two in our future. The NGO community has welcomed our presence and wishes us the best of luck in our future.
After hearing from many speakers, both formally and informally, Fearless Charities is more dedicated than ever to maintaining independence from government funding and continuing to develop an advocacy role for the NGO community. It was also made clear that the need for Fearless' services in the world-at-large will only become more acute in the years ahead. On this basis of demand, we are in a growth industry.
Fearless Charities looks forward to that growth and fulfilling that demand.
from Lefty's Last Cry!
Today marks the kick off of Shark Week
(20th anniversary) & as Tracey Jordan of
30 Rock so eloquently advises: "LIVE EVERY WEEK LIKE SHARK WEEK!" I figured we could bring this whole Discovery Channel nerd holiday into the political arena. Ah, health care, within the democratic party, it's a freaking a shark tank:
Blue Dogs v. ProgressivesI'm still trying to decide who's the hammerhead & who's the prey...
Last week Pelosi was a verbal hammerhead:"It's almost immoral what they are doing," Pelosi said to reporters, referring to insurance companies. "Of course they've been immoral all along in how they have treated the people that they insure," she said, adding, "They are the villains. They have been part of the problem in a major way. They are doing everything in their power to stop a public option from happening."
